Why do people talk on their phones like this?

[PumpkinSpiceGirl]

I’ve seen loads of people lately (mainly younger) holding their phone flat and talking into it like an Apprentice candidate instead of holding it to their ear. That means if you’re close to them you can hear their entire conversation which I find really rude and not sure why they’d want a stranger to hear it either.

Am I missing something or just getting old and grumpy?

I would never do it, but when I use my phone "properly" I always end up with half my make up on the phone screen which is annoying and manky! I use earphones or airpods most of the time nowadays.

The horizontal thing really annoys me for some reason too!

Yes this is confusing me to. I think it's become clear on this thread though that it's down to some hang-up with technology.

The comparisons with playing music on a train made it clear tbh. The reason it's rude to play music on a train isn't because it's from a phone... it's because it's music. It would be equally antisocial to whip out your recorder and play hot cross buns. It's irrelevant where the music comes from.

If you don't mind hearing two people sat next to each other talking on a train, I don't see why you'd have an issue with hearing a conversation from a phone, unless your issue is just that you don't like modern technology.

The main reason that I wear headphones during phone conversations is as a courtesy to the person I'm speaking to, not those around me, because the other person I'm talking to doesn't know who is hearing them if I had it on loudspeaker.

I also think that some people do enjoy getting worked up over essentially nothing, projecting bizarre and OTT motives to other peoples behaviour, and having something to feel superior about.

Overheating a phone conversation is annoying, but hearing a face to face conversation is fine?

Overhearing a face to face conversation can be annoying too ... if it's loud. But most people tend to instinctively gauge the volume of background noise around them and adjust the volume of their voices accordingly. People talking on the phone always seem to be loud. I don't think it's because they want other people to hear them, it just seems to be this inbuilt notion that they need to shout/speak loudly to be heard. Maybe because the other person is so faaaar away?🤣🤣🤣

I am in my fifties and remember when some people had their landline phone in the living room and everyone was supposed to remain respectfully quiet while their mum/dad/granny etc talked on the phone. The TV volume was turned down to accommodate this (even if you were trying to watch a perfectly good episode of Starsky and Hutch!) It was VERY annoying that their conversation took precedence over everyone else living their lives. Our phone was in the hall thankfully, but loads of people I knew kept them in their lounge/living space.

If you don't mind hearing two people sat next to each other talking on a train, I don't see why you'd have an issue with hearing a conversation from a phone, unless your issue is just that you don't like modern technology

Two people sitting next to each other having a conversation is absolutely nothing like the phone conversations posters are objecting to unless for some reason they involve a loud speaker and speaking at a volume higher than necessary for normal talking. Do you really think those are the same thing?

Doesn't really explain the annoyance over people having a phone conversation with earphones in.

Talking is talking, some people do it loud and obnoxiously, some people are more unobtrusive. I think it's a personality thing rather than a phone thing.

Some people have loud conversations face to face, some people have quiet conversations on the phone. I generally can't make out what is being said by the other party on someone's loudspeaker, but can clearly hear both parties chatting next to me face to face.

Maybe that's the frustration? Wanting to hear both sides clearly and being unable to?

It's on speakerphone so all you need to do is speak into the microphone at the bottom of the phone. Hence the odd angle. If it's a private private call, they will hold it as normal.

No one can hear me if I don’t do this. I’d LOVE not to have to put people on speaker phone (feels rude), but I cannot hold the phone to my ear and speak directly into the microphone simultaneously. I have an iPhone7 and I guess it’s getting old.

Phone converstations are more likely to contain sensitive content that you wouldn't broadcast in a face to face conversation. The volume and tone is more likely to be intrusive and out of sync with the surroundings.

I get a lot of it from people walking past my house to the community facilities nearby. They're clearly heard from across a road and wide verges.

The other quirk that goes in parallel with this is excessively loud bluetooth car calls. Excessively loud as in I can hear from the house when the windows are open, or from my front door the Very Important Business dealings of the people that like to use the unusually uninterrupted section of road 10m away from my house.
Cumulatively it's annoying and they're fucking their hearing up.

A lot could probably be breaching GDPR too.

Oh dear. Really?

Thank you for making up a very specific scenario and following it with a lovely, snide remark.

I don't know how you use your phone, but I've never felt the need to shout down mine. When I do have the loudspeaker on phone calls in my own home, it's quieter or equal to the volume of a person speaking as why would I need it any louder?

I have seen many people on loudspeaker in public and never have I thought it was particularly loud. Certainly no louder than an in person conversation and sometimes quieter. I think you all need to relax

OMG finally a thread about this!
I agree, so rude to have your phone on speaker when out and about! Happens often in buses around here.
Having read the PP, nothing justifies it. Wearing earphones, absolutely fine. You can’t / won’t hold the phone properly OR wear earphones? That doesn’t mean you are justified to annoy everybody around you! Just wait until you are in a private place to make your call, or email, or whatsapp…

I thought it was because of a getting a sweaty face followed by a foundation covered phone.

I do it because:

I think my microphone isn't working well. Calling in on WhatsApp or FB messenger, people say they cant hear me well.

I get sore hands holding my phone up to my ear all the time.

I have big cheekbones that touch stuff on the screen if I hold the phone up to my face.

Right ok. So disabilities don't justify it?

I can't answer my phone in public because you say so. Jog on

Sounds like recording voice memos on WhatsApp. I hate doing it but some people love them

"Google it @PumpkinSpiceGirl - it’s actually a recommended thing! It reduces your exposures to radiation from the phone."

I thought that was old news and not a concern in actual fact?